Containers are used in a variety of applications to hold materials. To facilitate moving the containers, various openings, hand holds, and/or connectors may be provided in the walls of the container. In some cases, a strap, wire, chain, or other member may be threaded through or otherwise attached at the opening. In general, the walls of the container are relatively thin and the openings are prone to wear, fatigue, and tearing when repeatedly used to handle the container. In some instances, when heavy loads are placed in the container, the wall surrounding the opening may simply fail when attempting to lift or move the container using a strap threaded through the opening.
For example, cardboard containers are used to transport welding consumables including coils of welding wire. These coils may weigh upwards of 500 kilograms. The containers have opposing openings in their sidewalls. A strap is threaded through the openings and is used to lift and move the container with machinery, such as a crane, picker, or other implement. To prevent the strap from tearing through the wall of the container at the opening, fiber-reinforced tape is applied around the opening. Application of the tape is a manual process and requires significant time to install.